Church Fathers

Apostolic Fathers of the Catholic Church: These men were Bishops of their respective Dioceses who each had contact with the Apostles but never knew Christ personally as did the Apostles.

Polycarp (Greek: Polýkarpos; 69–155 A.D.) was a Christian bishop of Smyrna. He was one of the first three apostolic Church fathers who was not a personal disciple of Christ. The other two were Clement of Rome and Ignatius of Antioch (C.50 – 117 A.D.). Smyrna was the second city to receive a letter from the apostle John in the book of Revelation. The church was founded by either the apostle Paul or the apostle John. Smyrna sat 35 miles north of Ephesus in the Roman province of Asia (modern day Turkey). The city was established as a Roman commercial center with a port on the Aegean Sea. Polycarp, as a disciple of John, was made a presbyter and later ordained by John as the first bishop of Smyrna. He wrote the epistle to the Philippians and was martyred in Rome as a faithful servant of Christ in 155 A.D. during the reign of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius.

Clement of Rome was ordained a presbyter by the Apostle Peter in Rome and became the fourth Pope after Popes Peter, Linus and Cletus. Peter was Pope until his martyrdom in 68 A.D. Linus was Pope from c. 68- 79 A.D. and was probably one of the 72 personal Disciples of Christ. Linus is referenced in 2 Timothy 4:21 by Paul in the Bible. Cletus held the papal office from 79 -88. Not much is known about the life and death of Popes Cletus and Clement. Clement wrote a letter to the Church in Corinth about the conflict among those in authority in the Church. Clement is mentioned by Paul in Philippians 4:3 as a fellow laborer of Christ. Clement is said to have been martyred around the year 100 A.D. during the reign of the Roman Emperor Trajan.

St. Ignatius of Antioch was a Jewish convert to Christianity and was born in Syria around the year 50 A.D. He was appointed by the Apostle John as the second bishop of Antioch, the city from which St. Paul began all of his missionary journeys. The first bishop of the Church of Antioch was Evodius and was ordained by Paul. Ignatius was ordered to be put to death by the Roman Emperor Trajan for failure to offer sacrifices to the pagan gods of Rome. He was martyred in Rome between 98 and 117 A.D, some years after the death of Paul. He wrote several letters while in chains on his way to his death in Jerusalem including one to the church in Smyrna. Early DisciplesLuke was a Greco-Syrian who lived in the city of Antioch. Luke was a physician by trade. Luke was not a Jew.
He is distinguished by Paul
as one not of the circumcision. He became a disciple of the apostle Paul and later followed Paul until Paul's martyrdom. Luke probably met Paul and was converted in Antioch and was probably not one of the seventy two Disciples of Christ. Luke was not an eye witness of Christ since he implies that fact in his gospel. (Luke 1:1-4). Luke's presence in Rome with the Apostle Paul near the end of Paul's life was attested in 2 Timothy 4:11: "Only Luke is with me." He authored both the Gospel according to Luke and the book of Acts of the Apostles. His earliest notice is in Paul'sEpistle to Philemon, verse 24. He is also mentioned in Colossians 4:14. Saint Luke had a great knowledge of the Septuagint and of things Jewish, which he acquired either as a Jewish proselyte or after he became a Christian, through his close relationship with the Apostles and disciples. He must have frequently met St. Peter and the other apostles after the crucifixion of Christ.

Mark was the cousin of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10). He was also referred to as John
mark. Mark was a Jew and probably
one of the 72 personal Disciples of Christ. He accompanied Paul and Barnabas on the
first half of Paul’s first missionary journey until he turned back at Asia.
Mark's mother was a prominent member of the infant Church at Jerusalem; it was to her house that Peter returned on his release from prison. Mark grew up at the feet of Peter, had been the interpreter (hermeneutes) of Peter and wrote down the sermons of Peter, thus composing the Gospel according to Mark. Tradition holds that mark was the founder of the Church at Alexandria, Egypt and was its first bishop.

Barnabas (originally named Joseph) was born of Jewish parents in the Island of Cyprus around the same time as the birth of Christ. As a Levite, he spent time in Jerusalem and probably lived there after becoming a disciple of Jesus. His relatives, the family of Mark the Evangelist and his mother, Mary, had a home in Jerusalem. (Acts 12:12). Barnabas had an estate in Cyprus, which he sold, and brought the proceeds to support himself and the apostles. (Acts 4:36-37). Barnabas was probably one of the seventy- two personal Disciples of Christ. When Paul made his first visit to Jerusalem after his conversion around 35 A.D., the Church was slow to accept him. It was Barnabas who introduced Paul to the Apostles, even though they were still afraid of Paul. (Acts 9:26-30). Paul left Jerusalem for his home in Tarsus to live in obscurity for some years. Barnabas appears to have remained in Jerusalem. Following Stephen's martyrdom, some Disciples from Cyprus met with great success preaching among the Greeks at Antioch in Syria, reports of which came to the Apostles. Barnabas was sent to investigate. Deeply impressed with the results, Barnabas immediately thought of Paul for this work, and set out for Tarsus to persuade Paul to come to Antioch. It was Barnabas, through the persuasive power of the Spirit, who initiated the greatest apostle this world has ever known.Titus, among the most prominent of the seventy- two personal Disciples of Christ, was born in Crete, the largest of the Greek islands. Hearing the news of the wonders of Jesus Christ, he joined some others from Crete who were going to Jerusalem to see Jesus for themselves. After hearing Jesus speak and seeing His miracles, Titus became a disciple and followed Christ. Titus worked with and served Paul after his conversion, traveling with him until Paul sent him to Crete, making Titus the bishop of that city. It is said that Titus was in Rome at the time of the beheading of Paul and that he buried Paul’s body before returning home. Back in Crete, he converted and baptized many people, governing the Church on that island until he was called to his people at the age of ninety-four.

Silas, is first mentioned in Acts 15:22 when he and Judas are selected by the church elders to return with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch following the Jerusalem Council in 50 A.D. Silas and Judas are mentioned as being leaders among the brothers. Silas was selected by Paul to accompany him on his second mission after Paul and Barnabas split over an argument involving Mark's participation. It was during the second mission that he and Paul were imprisoned briefly in Philippi where an earthquake broke their chains and opened the prison door. Silas is traditionally assumed to be the Silvanus mentioned in four epistles. Also visit http://kentmayeux-attorney.com/index.html for more information.